Adjustable can



(No Model.)

B. BROWN. ADJUSTABLE CAN 0R JAR HOLDER.

No. 590,963. Patented Oct. 5,1897.

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NITE STATES ATENT Fr es.

EMMA BROWN, OF FRIJEPORT, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 590,963, dated October5, 1897.

Application filed February 6, 1397- Serial No. 622,337. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMMA BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residingat Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Adjustable Can or Jar Holder, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to can or jar holders which are adjustable inorder that they may be used with cans or jars of different sizes duringthe operation of canning fruit, &c., to prevent burnin g of the hand andaccidents caused thereby.

The objects of the invention are to simplify the construction and modeof operation of the adjusting devices, to make them positive andefficient in action, and at the same time to greatly reduce the cost ofmanufacture of devices of this character.

Vith these ends in View the invention consists of the several details ofconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvedcan-holder with a fruitcan and filling-funnel indicated in dotted Fig. 2is a front elevation of a portion of the can-holder. Fig. 3 is a planview of the can-holder in its contracted form.

Similar reference-numerals indicate similar parts in the severalfigures.

The can-holder consists, essentially, of two sections (indicated by 1and 2, respectively) connected at their forward ends by hinges 3, andeach having a handle projecting from its rear end, as indicated by 4:.Each section is made from a single piece of wire bent to the requiredshape. The bending operation is as follows: One end portion of the wireforms the vertical bar 5, and the wire is then bent at a right angle toform the horizontal bar 6, then again bent at a right angle to form avertical bar 7, again bent at substantially a right angle to form thehorizontal bar 8, and again bent laterally at an obtuse angle to formone horizontal portion 9 of the handle, and then again bent to form aloop 10 and returned to form the other horizontal portion 11 of thehandle substantially parallel with the part 9, when-it is again bentlaterally at an obtuse angle to'form the horizontal bar 12, then bent ata substantially right angle to form the vertical bar 13, and then againbent at a right angle to form the horizontal bar 14:, and, finally, bentagain ataright angle to form the vertical bar 15, the end of which isbent to form an eyelG, which fits over the bar 12 at its junction withthe handle portion 11. The other end of the wire is also bent to form aneye 17, which fits over the bar 8 at its junction with the portion 9 ofthe handle. Each section is similarly formed, with slight exceptions,which will be referred to hereinafter, and the same reference-numeralsare applied to the similar parts in each section, the sections beingdistinguished as a whole by the numerals l and 2.

The horizontal bars 6, 8,12, and 14: are curved longitudinally insubstantially semicircular form, as shown, and each section is providedwith a horizontal tie-brace 1.8,for1ned at each end with an eye 19,which eyes fit over the bar 14: near. its ends. These braces prevent thebars 14 from being bent out of shape when pressure is applied to themand also serve as a support for the can, (indicated by 20.) Verticalbraces 21 also connect the bars Sand 12 of each section at a distance ofabout one-third of their length from the hinges 3 and also at'theirjunction with the handle portion, which braces prevent verticaldisplacement of the bars 8 and 12 relative to each other. These braces21 may be either of wire or sheet metal and tie together the horizontalbars, which have no integral connecting vertical bars.

The bars 6, 8, 12, and 14; of section 2 are substantially parallel toeach other, but the bars 6, 8, 12, and 14: of section 1 convergeslightly toward each other at their front ends, so that the bars 7 and18of section larenot as long as the similar bars of section 2, andconsequently the bars 6, 8, 12, and 1e can fit between the similar bars,respectively, of section 2 when the device is in its contracted form, asshown in Fig. 3. The hinges 3 .are

formed from strips of sheet metal and taper slightly from end to end,the Wide end of each being bent to form a loop 22, which loops embracethe vertical bars 7 and 13, respectively,

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of the section 2, and the narrow ends are bent to form loops 23, whichembrace the vertical bars 7 and 13, respectively, of section 1.

When the holder is in the position shown in Fig. 1, it is adapted toreceive and firmly grasp a two-quart can, and when it is in the positionindicated in Fig. 3 it is adapted to receive and firmly grasp aone-quart can, and in order to bring it into the contracted position itis only necessary to move section 1 rearwardly in the direction of itshandle and turn its front end in toward section 2 to cause the hingedend'of section 1 to extend through between the bars 6, 8, 12, and let ofsection 2, whereby the two ends overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 3,with the several horizontal bars of each section crossing each other,and the hinges 3 will be reversed, or, in other words, the face of thehinge that isinward in Fig. 1 will be outward in Fig. 2). In theposition shown in Fig. 3 when pressure is applied. to the handles inorder to cause the device to grasp a jar the tendency of the front orhinged ends of the sections will be to draw inwardly, and the morepressure is applied to the handles the more the hinged ends will tend todraw inwardly and thereby prevent any possibility of the hinged endsspreading.

The vertical bars 5, 7, 13, and 15 and the vertical braces 21 securelybrace and prevent vertical displacement of the horizontal bars 6, 8, 12,and 1th relative to each other, and the device as an entirety formsalight, strong, and durable structure admirably adapted for the purposeintended.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have produced acan-holder which may be easily and quickly adjusted to adapt it to cansof different sizes, that it is positive in its operation in either ofits positions to firmly grasp and hold the can, and that the cost ofmanufacturing such a device will be no more than would be the cost ofmanufacturing a device adapted to grasp and hold cans of one size only.

It will be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A can-holdermade in two sectionshinged togetherat their front ends and provided withhandle portions at their rear ends, each section consisting of an openframework of wire, and the connecting-hinges being reversible and thehinged ends of the sections adapted to overlap each other to contractthe canholder, substantially as described.

2. A can-holder made in two sections each consisting of a series ofhorizontal bars and a series of vertical bars and braces to tie thehorizontal bars together, the space between .the horizontal bars attheir front ends being wider in one section than that between thesimilar bars of the other section, whereby said bars are adapted tooverlap and cross;

each other, and hinges connecting the front ends of the sections, saidhinges being reversed when the sections are caused to overlap at theirhinged ends, substantially as described.

A can-holder made in two sections each consisting of a series of curvedhorizontal bars, and a series of vertical bars and braces to tie thehorizontal bars together, the space between the horizontal bars at theirfront ends being wider in one section than that between similar bars ofthe other section, whereby said bars are adapted to overlap and crosseach other, hinges connecting the front ends of the sections, saidhinges being reversed when the sections are caused to overlap at theirhinged ends, and horizontal tie-braces secured to the lower curvedhorizontal bars of each section, substantially as described and for thepurpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EMMA BROW N.

\Vitnesses:

O. E. HELD, B. S. GRANSDEN.

